Wounded Pride
by ZoneRobotnik
Summary: “What’s going on? Why is Near all beat up?” “What happened to you, Near?” “Near, answer me!” So many questions, and the white-haired child didn’t answer any of them.
1. Memories

"What's going on? Why is Near all beat up?"

"What happened to you, Near?"

"Near, answer me!"

So many questions, and the white-haired child didn't answer any of them. Watari had brought him home from Ryuuzaki's – Backup's – place, and the first thing he'd gotten was loads of questions, the most persistent person being Mello. But, after avoiding every question, Watari had taken him to where he could be treated, and then he was put to bed.

Not that being in bed stopped the questions from coming. Mello had followed them in and was now asking him the same questions everyone had been asking him: What happened to you? Even Roger asked that, when he saw all the cuts that were on his body. They'd gotten him a new set of white pajamas and socks, and the bloody ones were quickly disposed of.

"Near, I asked you a question!"

"Go away." Near finally said, and he heard a slight laugh escape from Mello's throat, making him glance over at the annoying blonde. "What?"

"You CAN speak!" Mello grinned, then leaned over him. "C'mon, what's wrong? You can tell me!"

"Get off my bed." Near said firmly, refusing to look at the blonde boy. "Go bug Matt or something."

"I wanna know what happened to—oof!" He was cut off by a pillow being thrown at him, knocking him off the edge of the bed. He emerged with the pillow shortly, grinning. "Oh, you wanna fight, do ya? Bring it on, Near!"

"I want to sleep." Near said, snatching the pillow from him and curling up under the blanket.

"Chicken!" Mello laughed and then climbed on top of him, shaking him. "Get up and fight me, chicken! Chicken can't walk, is that why he was carried? Chicken!" He started to make chicken noises, then yelped as a fist shot out to meet his face. "Owww!" He got off the bed and walked to the door. "Fine, I'll let you sleep! You owe me a fight, though!" He then left the room, holding his face. "Maaatt, he hurt me!"

Near sighed and curled up, trying to ignore the stinging pain in his feet. He didn't want to have to recount the story of the three days Backup, under the alias of Ryuuzaki, had him locked up in his house. It was bad enough to remember it, and each of the deep gashes on his body reminded him of the pain he was put through. The burns on his forehead, under his bangs, were his reminders of the water torture. And his upper-arm still burned from the lemon juice and salt that had been smeared into the wound.

He wasn't a chicken. He just wanted to rest, something Backup had stopped him from doing. Backup…he wouldn't even know that was his name, if L hadn't come in and said it with a cold tone as he carried him out of that madman's house.

_Ryuuzaki…_

Just that name sent shivers down the boy's spine and his wounds seemed to flare up, burning him. The scene of his own blood…Ryuuzaki's laugh…the memories came back to him as vividly as if they were happened to him right now, and he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping his dreams would save him from the memories.

"_Nate Rivers." A smooth voice said as a figure stood in the doorway. He came closer to Near and then pulled him close, pulling out a knife. "I'm your best friend, Nate." He said cooly as he stabbed a knife into his shoulder, grinning. Near let out a cry of pain, and he laughed._

_He was then dragged,bleeding, to another room, where he was strapped onto a table and his shirt was torn open, Ryuuzaki's cold, red eyes gazing at the wound the knife had caused. _

_Pain…He pulled out a lemon and started to spill it's juioce onto the wound, then massaged salt into the open wound, pushing into it with his finger as he laughed that hoarse, sickly laugh. Then he pulled out a glass and started to drip searing hot water onto Near's forehead, and didn't even listen as Near told him to stop._

"_Beg, Nate. Beg me to stop."He then pulled out a knife and started to carve a "B" into his chest, and Near let out a scream. Somehow, even without his touching it, the water turned ice-cold and Near begin to beg for him to stop, it was so painful!_

"_Near!"_

_Someone else's voice…whose?_

"_Near, wake up!"_

_The world was shaking…Ryuuzaki was laughing…_

"Near, WAKE UP!"

"Nngh…" Near slowly opened his dark-gray eyes and lookecup to see Roger, Matt and Mello looking at him worriedly. "…Roger…?" Something burned on his cheeks, something wet, and he reached up a hand to wipe whatever it was off, then blinked as he realized that they were tears. He had been crying…

"Geez, Near." Mello reached over and hit his head. "You got us all worrying with your crying and screaming! What the hell happened to you?"

Near didn't reply, just looked away and closed his eyes, grateful that it was just a nightmare. He shivered, then looked at three of them and blinked. "Why are you all in my room?"

"Because we could hear your screaming 'Ryuuzaki, stop' out in the hall." Matt said, playing with his DS as he spoke. "Me and Mello got Roger to see what was wrong."

"Who's 'Ryuuzaki'?" Mello demanded, placing his hands on his leather-clad hips. "And why were you screaming his name?"

"No one." Near mumbled, pulling the blanket over him again. "It was just…a nightmare." He sighed and placed a hand on his chest, on the part of his shirt that covered the biggest gash. He knew that Roger knew about it, and he didn't ask any questions, – Watari told Roger everything he needed to know – but Near knew that Mello would be even more insistant of on knowing who "Ryuuzaki" was.

"He's gotta be someone, if you screamed his name like he was killing you. If is WAS a he." Mello scoffed and stood up, walking out of the room, Matt following.

Roger sighed. "Do you want to talk about it at all, Near?"

"No." He slowly sat up. "Can you carry me to the playroom, Roger?"

Roger nodded, then picked up the small boy, carrying him out of the room. As he was carried, Near thought about the nightmare he had. Would he have even more like those? What if one of the other kids heard him screaming? He made a mental note to gag himself before he went to sleep and then reached for his toys when Roger set him down. He had to get his mind off of Ryuuzaki…


	2. Mello

"Near, you feel like talking now?" Mello's voice cut through Near's thoughts and he looked up from the puzzle he was working on. It was now a full week since he had been rescued, and he was still having that nightmare. In a way, he was grateful to the others for always waking him up from it.

"…Sure." He said, then went back to his puzzle. "What do you want to talk about, Mello?"

"Watari told Roger that L wasn't where he was gonna be, did you hear?" He leaned against him slightly, chewing on a chocolate bar. "Turns out that the place was abandoned, and there was no trace of the girl that lived there."

"You've been listening in on their conversations again, haven't you?" He raised an eyebrow at the blonde male. "Get off my shoulder, it still hurts."

"Oh, really?" Mello leaned against it more, then laughed when Near pushed him back. "Okay, okay, I get it. No leaning." He grinned and then looked at him. "So, who's Ryuuzaki? Still gonna say it's 'no one'?"

"A freak." Near mumbled, placing the piece of the puzzle down and then sighing. "The guy that kidnapped me called himself Ryuuzaki. There, now you know."

"How come you have to be carried everywhere, then?" Mello got up, then sat down and leaned against his other shoulder. "Tell me that."

"He injured my feet, so I can't walk." He said calmly.

"Why were you crying and screaming his name?" Mello grinned and looked at him. "You're still doing it, y'know. You're lucky the others don't hear."

"...He tortured me, and used me as bait to get to L." He looked away. "He's most likely taken L away somewhere." He finished the puzzle, then looked at Mello. "Can you carry me to my room?"

Mello blinked, then shrugged and stood up, finishing the chocolate bar. Then he knelt and picked up the white-haired boy. "You're getting too big to be expecting this all the time, Near."

"I would've asked someone else, but you want answers." Near said, wrapping his arms around Mello and holding on as Mello carried him to his room.

"Am I getting them?" He gently set Near down on the bed and then walked over to close the door. When he turned around, he saw Near unbuttoning his shirt. "Hey, what?! I don't—what're you doing?!" He ran over and grabbed Near's wrists. "Stop!"

Near blinked and looked at him. "Let go." He then jerked his hands free and continued unbuttoning his shirt. Then he quietly pulled it off, exposing all the cuts that had been ironed shut by Ryuuzaki, that final day he was stuck with him. He looked at Mello's face and saw an expression of both shock, pity, and fury. "I said he tortured me, didn't I?" He then reached for a first-aid kit nearby.

Mello grabbed his arm and looked at the deep cut that looked like it'd been infected and maybe poisoned. "Near, you need to get this looked at!" He said in a scolding tone, looking at him.

"It hasn't killed me yet." He said, pulling away. "Can you help me with my bandages?" He then reached over and pulled off his socks, not even looking over as he heard Mello suck in a breath at the sight of his raw, burnt feet.

"You need a hospital, Near." Mello placed his hands on his hips. "Has Roger seen these wounds?"

"Yeah…" He mumbled, then picked up a bottle. "Can you help me use this on my feet? It's supposed to help the burns."

"No wonder you can't walk!" Mello huffed and then took the bottle, going over to tend to his feet. "So, that Ryuuzaki guy did this to you? Who knows what he's doing to L, then! We have to find him!" He nodded firmly.

"Only L can help himself, now." Near looked away, sighing. Mello stopped and looked up at him with an expression that said "You're kidding, right?".

"What happened to your pride?" Mello stood up. "You used to be so confident! Now, you're a crying, sobbing, begging mess!" He raised a hand and smacked Near across the face. "Buck up!"

Near took the blow quietly, just sitting and listening to Mello yell at him about giving up being a waste, how L would be ashamed to see him, how he wasn't even a challenge anymore… "Why bother fixing me, then?"

Mello stopped and glared at him. "It's not a fair win if I take advantage of your trauma! You have to get over it before I can try to beat you again!"

He looked up and gave a small smirk. "So, you're going to try to fix me?"

"Yes! Now, give me those bandages, I'll work on it after I'm done with your feet!" He knelt and squirted some of the clear, oozing liquid onto his hand, then started to rub it on Near's feet. "Geez…you're such a brat, Near!"

"No…" Near smiled, then grabbed the pillow, hitting Mello in the head with it. "Now I am."

Mello was about to yell at him, then a smile formed on his face and he laughed, grabbing a teddy bear and tossing it at him before he went back to helping his feet.

Near caught the bear and smiled. "Bad aim, Mello."

"Nice catch, Near." Mello retorted, then stood up and walked over with the bandages. "Is there any medicine for these wounds?"

Near looked at the kit, then grabbed a small bottle. "I think this is what Roger used before."

"Better be." Mello started to rub it onto the wounds, then started to wrap the bandages around his wounds. Luckily, part of their training had been First-Aid, and he knew what he was doing. "Well, we'll soon find out if it wasn't. I'll just have to keep an eye on you, because I don't wanna be responsible if you die or something!"

Near chuckled a bit, then pulled on his shirt, buttoning it up. "I feeling kind of tired, so if you want to go play with Matt, you can."

"Are you kidding?!" Mello smacked his head. "What if you have another nightmare again? Someone needs to be here to wake you up!"

Near looked at him, blinking, then curled up to sleep. Mello sighed and pulled the blanket over the white-haired boy. "Geez, Near...your pride used to piss me off, and now I wanna help you get it back!" He mumbled, then blinked as he saw something trail down Near's cheek – a tear. He sighed and reached over, then wiped the tear away. "I hope I can stop you from crying in your sleep, at least."


	3. Misunderstandings

"Hey, Matt. Don't you think it's weird? I mean, they used to be at each other's throats, and now Mello's always helping him with stuff." A boy said as he sat next to Matt.

"Yeah…" Matt nodded quietly, looking up from his game. "I'm not worried, though. Mello wouldn't do anything. I trust him."

"Still…I'd watch out." The other boy nodded, then got up and went into another room. Matt continued playing his game, but glanced at Mello and Near, who were both by a puzzle. Near was working on it, and Mello was leaning against him and watching, then laughing when Near got the wrong piece, only to be shut up by Near getting the right one in. Maybe the boy was right…

Near glanced over at Matt. "I think he's getting worried, Mello." He placed the final piece in. "Why don't you go play with him? I'll just work on another puzzle while you are." He reached for a puzzle box, but he couldn't reach it, and Mello picked it up and handed it to him, then put the other puzzle away.

Mello shrugged and walked over to Matt. "What's up?" He asked, leaning against him.

Matt looked at him. "That's my question. Why are you suddenly being friends with Near? I mean, not that it's not a good thing, but you used to hate each other!"

"We don't 'hate each other', we're just bitter rivals. And I don't want to win unfairly, so I'm helping him recover from something that his kidnapper did to him." He nodded firmly and took a bite of his chocolate bar. "After he's better, we'll be back to glaring at each other again."

"What happened to him?" Matt blinked, confused.

"When Near thinks you should know, he'll tell you. I bugged him into telling me, but I doubt the same tactic will work for you." He grinned at Matt. "So, caring more about me than your video games for once?"

Matt nodded and sighed. "It's just…it's…distracting, seeing you two together."

"Are you jealous?" Mello leaned into him, grinning. "Afraid I like Near?"

"No!" Matt said, although it was a lie. He WAS afraid of losing Mello's affections to Near, but he wasn't about to tell the arrogant blonde that! "I'm just wondering what happened to you, that's all!"

Mello laughed, then looked over as he heard a chair clatter. "Aw, crap!" He ran over and helped Near up. "Near, you said you'd wait!" He snapped, and then helped him and the chair up. "Do you want to go somewhere? Is that it?"

"Just to the toybox. I can do that much by myself…" He mumbled, looking away from him. "But since you have me in your arms already, can you carry me there?"

Mello walked over and set him down, then walked back over to Matt. "Sorry about that. And about the carrying, well, the kidnapper damamged his feet pretty badly. Not a pretty sight, and painful even without his foot touching anything. So, he can't walk for a while yet."

Matt nodded and looked at Near. "Then, he's injured badly, so you're caring for him? That's all?" He breathed a small sigh of relief. 'That's good.' He thought. 'I was afraid there was another reason, but it's just Mello wanting to be fair!' He smiled and then looked at Mello. "I'm hungry, let's go grab a bite to eat from the kitchen."

"Okay." Mello left the room with Matt, leaving Near with the toys.

Near looked up as they went and sighed, pulling out a Lego set and startrf to build a high tower, but he couldn't get very high – it hurt to stand and he slumped down to the ground again, the tower quivering above him, threatening to topple over…

"Oh my gosh, Near!"

Mello looked up and groaned, then ran out of the kitchen to find Near buried in Legos. He seemed alright, though – the girl that'd seen the tower fall was just overreacting. Still, he had to make sure the brat was alright, and walked over to push the Legos away. "Near, what the heck happened?"

"I tried to build a tower, and it fell on me." He slowly sat up and then took Mello's hand as he tried to stand, but winced and fell against him.

"Whoa! Hey, not so fast…" Mello sighed and picked him up, then walked out of the room. "Let's take a look at your feet, okay? See if it needs more tending to."

Matt watched as they went, frowning, then followed them with the sandwiches he and Mello were making. Maybe he could find out by following…

What met Matt's eyes when he got there, though, made them go wide as saucers. For some reason, Mello was undoing Near's shirt! He threw open the door and ran in. "Mello! What's going on here, you said there was nothing between you two!"

Mello looked over his shoulder and blinked. "Matt? What're you doing in here? And I was telling the truth." He turned to him fully. "Don't you trust me?"

"I…" He then blinked and ran over, pulling Near's unbuttoned shirt open now. Had he seen a glimpse of bandages? His eyes widened as he saw bandages all over Near's torso, and looked at Mello, then Near. "What're these hiding?"

Near shoved him away and started to button up his shirt again. "None of your business!"

"Near, I want to know!" He grabbed his shoulder and Near winced in pain. Matt blinked and pulled back. "…What? What happened?"

Near finished buttoning up his shirt. "I'm going to sleep." He then curled up and pulled the blanket over himself.

"Near…" Mello sighed, then looked at Matt. "You sticking around?"

"Heck, yeah!" Matt handed him his sandwich. "So…you know, and you won't tell me?" He frowned, taking a bite of his sandwich. "You don't usually hide things from me…"

"You ARE jealous! I knew it!" Mello stood up. "You ARE!"

"No, I just—" Matt was cut off by a quiet whimper from Near, and looked over at him. "…Near?"

"Please, Ryuuzaki…stop…" Near was shivering, his hands desperately clawing at the blankets, his nails digging into the fabric. "It hurts…"

Matt frowned and started to reach over, but Mello got to him first and shook him frantically. "Mello?"

"Stop begging, stop dreaming, stop remembering, just STOP!" Mello yelled, then slapped Near hard. It was painful, but it had the desired effect – Near's dark-gray eyes snapped open with a mixture of sorrow, shock and fear, and then he sat up and clung to Mello. Mello sighed and held him close, his hand gently stroking the white-haired boy's hair. "There, there. What was it this time?"

"The water wouldn't stop…and he got out his knife…oh, Mello…" He shuddered. "I'm worried about L. He's stuck with him, because of me!" He clung tighter. "I know I have to try to recover…we can't just leave him there, but every time I think about him…" He paled and then clung tighter. "I'm scared…"

Mello sighed and looked at Matt. "Well, since you're hearing so much anyway…Near was kidnapped by Backup, who went as the name 'Ryuuzaki'. When L came to save him, which is when he heard about what Ryuuzaki's real name was, he was forced to stay in exchange for Near's life." He looked at Near. "C'mon, let's at least show him your feet."

Near looked at Matt quietly, then nodded and let go of Mello so he could remove his socks. Like Mello, Matt sucked in his breath when he saw the damage, and bit his lip. "Geez…that's…pretty bad. So, this Ryuuzaki guy, Backup, did that to you?"

"And a lot of other stuff." Mello nodded. "He tortured him, forcing him to cry and beg, breaking down his pride…" He was quivering with fury now, and then he pulled the socks onto Near's feet again, hiding the damage. "He can't walk with those wounds, so Roger has to carry him, but he's busy, so I've been."

Matt nodded. "That explains all the extra time with him, then. Maybe I'll help, too. I mean, it's so weird, seeing Near crying and clinging to you like a little kid." He nodded firmly and handed Near a sandwich. "Here, eat up."

Near nodded and ate quietly. "It was my first time in Japan, and I never saw out any windows…but, I did see the city around the house as I was carried out, so maybe he's around there." He looked down. "My vision at the time was blurry, though…"

"We'll work on that later. For now, you just need to recover." Mello said firmly. "Matt, can you watch him? I'm gonna go see if I can find out anything more of the search for L." He stood up and went over to the door and left, not even waiting for a reply.

Matt sighed, then looked at Near. "Hey, Near? Can I ask you something?" He asked, pulling out his DS and turning it on.

"Go ahead, I'm not going anywhere." Near said calmly, with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"How do you feel about Mello helping you, honestly?" He glanced up at his face, half-watching him and half-playing the game.

Near thought a bit, then picked up a wooden puzzle and dumped it out on the bed, starting to work on it. "…I suppose I'm grateful for the help, but I have mixed feelings. I'm glad he's helping me and keeping the reason secret, but I'm also not sure – I still think of him as a rival."

"What do you think Mello thinks of it?" He asked, pausing the game.

"I don't know. If he finds helping me a burden, he's free to walk away anytime, I'll just have to recover on my own." Near said, quietly putting the puzzle together.

"I don't think he finds helping you're a burden…he chose to do it, after all." Matt put the game aside. "But…well…I…" He shifted slightly, unsure how to say this, and then Mello came back in, cutting off his chance to.

"Watari's going to check the house and ask around that block, see if anyone saw them." He reported, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Matt's acting jealous." Near said calmly with a small smile. Matt gave him a look and then went back to his game while Mello laughed.


	4. Awkward

Another week, and still nothing. Near was getting anxious, and it was clear to see in his expression as he looked out his bedroom window. He was still too injured to walk, and Roger had told him that there was a chance he may not walk again. Near believed that to be a 75 chance, which meant that there was a 25 chance he _would_ walk again, and he wasn't going to give up when there was at least that much chance!

Just like there was at least a 3 chance that they could find L and Backup before…

He didn't want to think about it. There was no "before" anything. They WOULD find him, and he would be just fine!

He hoped so, at least.

He'd started calling Ryuuzaki "Backup", and that made him fear him less, since the dream said that his name was "Ryuuzaki", and it was the dreams and tortures he feared. No, Backup was just another person being raised to be the next L, just like him, but he'd gone insane and was locked up in the mental house. But, he'd recently escaped, and that's when he kidnapped him… He shook his head roughly – he had to stop thinking about that, if he was going to get over it! He was just tortured, dangit! It's not like he was raped or anything, he'll get over it!

And he would be able to walk again…he was confident of that. He would not be carried like a child his whole life, no way! He looked away from the window as Mello came in and nodded a greeting before looking outside again. The other kids were playing soccer, a game that had never interested him anyway, and the sun was sunny, so they'd be out there a long time.

"Hey." Near blinked as a hand went on his head. "Are you ignoring me?" Mello placed a hand on his hip, while the other held a chocolate bar he was eating. "I asked how you were doing."

"Better." Near nodded. "Backup doesn't scare me as much, and I only had the nightmares twice this week." He turned to him and then sat down fully, taking the sandwich he brought. "And I wasn't ignoring you. I was watching the others." He said before taking a bite.

Mello nodded. "Well, I guess you needed something to do. But, why don't you open the window?" He got up and started to push the window open, but Near reached up a hand to stop him. "Hey, Near! C'mon, let's open the window!"

"No, I don't want it open!" Near said as he held it shut. There was a bit of a scuffle over the window, and then Mello got the window open, but both he and Near fell over, Mello pinning Near down under him while Near's hand slid down the wall and fell to the bed by his head.

Their faces were only inches apaprt, and both of them had wide eyes when they heard the door open and Matt going "What the hell?!" as he walked in. "Mello, Near, get up!" He closed the door and walked over, pulling Mello off of Near.

"It's not what it looks like!" Mello said, shaking his head. "We were fighting over if the window should be open or closed, and we fell over, that's all!" He looked over as Near shut the window again. "Near!" He walked over. "Open the window, it's not healthy to have it closed all the time!" He pushed it open and Near gave him a look before sitting back down. "You just rest your feet and eat. We'll go to the playroom in a bit." He then turned to Matt. "What?"

Matt was frowning, his arms crossed over his chest. "That looked really bad, Mello. You're lucky it was just me that came in, because any of the others would've gona around telling the others about what they saw!" He seethed, then stormed out of the room, slamming the door open and shut as he went.

Mello forwned, then looked over at Near again. "Well…that was…"

"Awkward." Near finished, nodding. Then he sighed and lay down on the bed, holding his head. The burns were long-gone, but he could still feel them – just the _**memory **_made his forehead hurt like crazy, and his ear stung. "Why do I need it open, anyway? What if that's what got me kidnapped in the first place?" He looked at him fully.

Mello shrugged. "I doubt he'll cme after you again, he already has L." He took a bite of his chocolate bar. "…I better go talk to Matt." He then turned and left the room. "Maaaatt, waaaaaait!"

Near sighed and looked out the open window, listening to the wind. The radio that night – or was it day? It was impossible to tell – was talking about a storm going to happen in that area of Japan – the Kanto region, was it? Had it been going on while he was being tortured? Or, did he just miss it? He didn't hear the thunder, but he also didn't hear anything really, that night.

_Nothing but Ryuuzaki's laughter and his own screams…_

He shook his head roughly, trying to get his fake name out of his head. 'No, his name is Backup…not Ryuuzaki…he's just another Whammy kid…he's not…anything to fear!' He shivered, then closed the window, thinking it was the cold. 'How did he know my real name?' He thought, his eyes shaking. 'No one but L, Watari, and Roger know it…so how…?' He curled his finger in a strand of his hair and twirled it, thinking. 'Backup…Ryuuzaki…How does he know my real name so well? I've never told anyone…' He looked up at the ceiling. 'L…' He looked at the bedroom door, then slowly started to get off of the bed, wincing with each step as he feet touched the wooden floor and he went towards the door.

He got halfway there, then yelped as he fell. The bedroom door opened and then he felt arms go around him as he was caught halfway to the ground. He blinked, then looked up at Mello, who had that scolding look on his face again. "…I have to help L…" He said, using him for support as he tried to stand upright. "I can't keep waiting around for my feet to recover, I need to find him and Backup!"

"You need to rest, is what you need to do!" Mello snapped, picking him up and carrying him over to the bed. "Watari and Roger are doing their best to find him, so stop freaking out! We'll find him!" He had to pin the squriming boy to the bed, and inwardly he hoping that Matt wouldn't come in. This was worse than the earlier scene!

After a bit, Near finally calmled and Mello let him go. "…I know that. But, it's not enough…" He was quivering with anger.

"What can we do, Near? You're only 11 years old, and I'm only 13! Honestly, what can we do, right now?" He stood up, waiting for Near to reply.

Near didn't reply, and crawled over to the window before he looked out it. "…I…I want to help him…"

Mello sighed and left the room, leaving him alone to his own thoughts.

Author's Notes

Near seems determined to help L, but what can one little boy do, especially since Japan is so huge and he'd get lost is he went? And what did Backup _want_ with L in the first place?!

Speculations, anyone?


	5. To Japan!

"_L!"_

_Near was back in that house, tied up like before, but this time L was strapped to the table, and Near's eyes widened as he saw Ryuuzaki's cold, red eyes glint as they reflected L's blood. "Look, Nate! L isn't invincible, he CAN bleed! Isn't it just so pretty?" He looked over at him, then left L's writhing body to go and grab Near's hair, dragging him over to where he could see the blood slipping from L's body and onto the metal table beneath him. "Isn't it so beautiful? Like a fine wine…"_

"_Stop it!" Near tried to pull free, but the rope and Ryuuzaki's hands were holding him still, pushing his head down until he was close to the flowing blood. "Stop…"_

"_Lick it up, Nate. We don't want any of this to go to waste!"_

"_No, stop!" Near cried, tried to pull free. "Stop it, Ryuuzaki, please!" He begged, looking over his shoulder at the cold-hearted man holding him. "Stop…"_

"_Near!" L gasped, and then his eyes slowly opened and looked at him. "Help me, Near…find help…the Japanese police…anyone…Help me!"_

"_L!" Near tried to pull free again, and then the room started to shake violently. "What's going on? L! L!" He closed his eyes, fighting tears._

_Ryuuzaki and L faded and then Near's eyes flashed open, Mello's eyes meeting his. "It's just a dream, Near. You have to wake up!" _

"Mello!" Near sat up, his breath heavy, and then looked around to see Mello sitting on the edge of the bed. "We can't delay any longer, we have to go save him!" He slid to the edge of the bed and started to get up, but then winced in pain and fell back. "We have to find him…" He looked at Mello. "We can't wait any longer, I had a bad dream about L being tortured! I was back in that place, and Ryuuzaki dragged me over and tried to force me to drink L's blood…" He shivered and then grabbed hold of Mello's sleeves,clinging to him as he sobbed into his chest.

Mello frowned and held him close. "I'll talk to Roger about it, it's clear that you won't stop having these dreams until L is safe." He stood up, pulling Near up with him, then carried him out of the room, gently picking him up as he walked on to Roger's office. Right now, after _that_ dream, Near needed someone by his side, and Matt was busy.

Near clung to him, shivering. Such a revolting dream, but it most likely echoes his silent fears of L being tortured. And Ryuuzaki – _**Backup**_, he silently scolded himself – had seemed to like the taste of blood… Before he realized it, he was plopped in a chair and then Mello banged his hands on Roger's desk, telling him about the dreams and especially this current one. Near quickly looked over at the door and breathed a sigh of releif, seeing it shut and locked.

"You have to let us go with Watari to Japan, or these nightmares will never stop, and that makes him weak, and I don't want to be against a Near that's been forced into weakness by Backup!" Mello said firmly.

Roger looked troubled. "…I'll talk to Watari about this, then. Please, return to the playroom, I'll call you if he agrees to take you." He sighed. "Even if you are only children, you are also L's top successors currently. I should call you soon."

Mello nodded, then walked over and picked up Near, carrying him out of the room and going to the playroom. "We need to get you something to help you walk on your own…" He mumbled, and was inwardly grateful for Near's unnatural child-like appearance. Then he plopped him down by the toybox and walked over to talk to Mello, who was playing the Gamecube. "Hey, Mello."

Near sat next to the toybox and pulled out the building blocks, but hesited, reemmbering the last time he'd tried to build a tower, and instead got out his dominoes; they were safer and didn't pile up high to topple on top of him.

And he honestly didn't want to be the center of attention right now, not when he kept seeing the image of L's blood slipping down his body in front of him…oh, god… He felt like he was going to be sick, but then Mello came over andplaced a hand on his shoulder before he picked him up.

"Roger called us." Mello said, and Near looked over his shoulder to see Matt quietly following before he looked forward again, clinging to Mello. "Near?"

"I'm having daymares…" He mumbled into the blonde's shoulder. "The sooner we save L, the better."

Mello nodded, then walked in to see Watari standing by the desk and Roger looking worried. "So, we can go, then?" He asked without warning. Then he smiled as Watari nodded, and looked at Near. "Y'hear that? We're going to Japan!"

"Japan?" Matt paled as he listened in. "So…far…" He slumped against the wall, worried for Mello. Would it be right to ask to go along? He shouldn't have been listening in anyway, so what if he gets in trouble?

Still…

Watari led Mello and Near out, but stopped next to Matt. "I suppose you wish to come along?" He asked looking at him. "You'd better get ready, then." He then took Near out of Mello's arms and carried him out to the car while Mello and Near got ready to go, grabbing only what they thought they'd need. Mello brought a couple of Near's puzzles, since he knew he'd get bored and sleep was something he didn't need.

On the jet plane going to Japan, Mello sat next to Matt while Watari sat next to Near, giving Mello and Matt a chance to talk. "You're not still mad about yesterday, are you? It was an accident." Mello said, looking at Matt furiously playing his video game. "Did you want to come to save L, or to make sure me and Near weren't alone together again?"

Matt didn't reply, but he started ruthlessly slashing at his opponent, his teeth clenched; a reaction that, when concerning Matt, meant "Yes, to keep you and Near apart".

Mello sighed, then looked over at Near, who was watching England fade out of sight as they sped to Japan. "You gonna play with your puzzles?"

Near nodded and started to work on one quietly. Watari was reading a book next to him, but was paying attention to them all. It would be a day yet until they reached Japan, and he knew that they were all anxious to be there as soon as possible.

After a while of flying, Watari noticed Near dozing in his seat, and gently shook him awake. "Let's not get you tossing, turning and screaming until we get to hotel." He said kindly. Near looked out the window, an expression of self-loathing on his face. How had he left himself fall asleep so easily?! He needed to stop, because if L could manage to go for days without sleep, so could he!

Finally, after a day's flight, they reached Japan. Near was half-asleep and hung limply in Watari's arms as he was carried out and they went to the car wating for them. He went into full sleep as he was set in the back seat, Mello and Matt sitting on either side of him so one or both could wake him up if he started to freak out.

Lucky for them, he didn't start to have the nightmare until they got into the hotel elevator, and then they carried him into the room and lay him on the bed, Watari shaking him awake. As usual, he opened his eyes quickly and then looked around, surveying his surroundings before his expression calmed down and he dared to speak again.

"…I must've fallen asleep." He rubbed his eyes. "Is this the right area? Let me see out the window." He stepped off the bed, and both Mello and Matt ran to catch him, but Watari scooped him up and carried him over to the window.

"This is the right place, Near." Watari said softly. "That building is the one you were kept in, and belonged to Bridgit Baxter. She's since gone missing, but the Japanese police suspect murder." He looked at Near. "They…wanted to talk to you about that, actually."

"I never left the rooms he dragged me to." Near placed a hand against the cool glass. "…When did they want to talk to me? That's when we'll ask them for help finding L." He nodded firmly and looked at Watari.

"We never set a date. In fact, I thought you wouldn't want to come to Japan, but I'll contact them tonight. You all just get some sleep." He smiled and hugged Near. "Mello, come take Near to bed, please." He pulled out his cell-phone and dialed a number as Mello picked up Near and carried him to the bed.

--

Author's Notes: Okay, so it looks like I have to pust one of these note-things here to get a review. Geez. Wow, they're in Japan! But, there's no time to sightsee!

They're going to talk to the Japanese police, do you think they'll run into pre-Kira Light there? XD


	6. Partnership

"_Beg, Nate! Beg for your freedom!" Ryuuzaki gave that wheezy cackle as he placed his knife against Near's cheek, his hand pinning him against the wall. _

"_No!" Near shook his head, and then froze as the knife moved to his throat. "Stop…"_

"_Ohh, such bravery's gonna get you killed, Nate! And if you die, L won't have anything to come for, so try not to piss me off enough to kill you, okay?" He said with a sickingly-sweet tone, the knife moving lower. "Although, I'm sure L's gonna be pissed off at me anyway, so a few extra wounds can't hurt." He started to slice through the shirt, blood spilling out of the wounds as Near let out screams of pain. "Much better!" He ruffled his hair then stood back. "Good boy, Nate. You wear too much white anyway." He grinned at the white shirt, which was steadily being dyed red with Near's blood. "Oh, but let's not stop there!" He grinned and opened the shirt quickly, then sliced at his body again and again, laughing his wheezy laugh, his cold, red eyes glinting with madness…_

He bolted awake and nearly fell off the bed, gasping out a faint "Help!" before he fell over completely. While his faint cry wasn't heard, the THUMP of his fall was and the other three ran over to see if he was okay. He looked up at them and then took Matt's extended hand to help him up on the bed again. "…Thanks, Matt."

Matt nodded. "More nightmares?" He asked, sitting next to him.

Near nodded, then looked up at Watari. "When are we meeting with the Japanese police?"

Watari nodded. "At 12:30pm, so we have time to go get some food before we do." Watari said, looking at his watch. Then he walked over to the closet and came back with white boots. "Here, put these on. Turns out that there's a policy where you have to wear shoes." He smiled a bit at Near's grimace.

Mello chuckled at his grimace. "Aw, c'mon! Shoes are great!" He took them. "Here, I'll help you put them on." He got on the floor and knelt down, lifting Near's pant leg as he slipped the boot onto Near's foot. He winced, but otherwise just looked away, not happy. Mello grinned at his expression. "Just another difference between us, Near." He zipped the boot up on the side and then put on the other one before he stood up. "Here, try standing."

Near slowly, gingerly, stepped off the bed and then stood. It hurt, but at least there was something with padding between his feet and the ground, so he might actually be able to walk. Still, he limped over to Mello, who was steadily backing away, and then caught hold of his sleeves, clinging to him. "Hurts…"

"You tried though." Mello nodded, glad to see his rival standing on his own two feet for the first time in a couple weeks.

He nodded, then looked up at Watari. "Let's go eat."

Watari nodded, then scooped him up as they left the hotel room to go to a restuarant near the police station. Watari did al of the orders, while the three teens just looked around, looking at the decorations of the place. Near seemed interested in the chandelier hanging above, and Matt watched it swing for a bit before he got out his game and started to play, then followed the others as they went to a table.

Mello was looking around at all the people that were just staring at them – the obvious foreign kids with the old man. He glared at them, then turned and started to eat the food Watari ordered for them. Near didn't even notice the people, he was too focused on what L might be going through right now, and he ate his food quietly.

"You guys are unusual." A voice said as an auburn-haired teen – 15-16, by the looks of him – sat at the table next to theirs. "You don't have any cameras, so you _can't_ be tourists." He said, looking at them closer.

"Stop staring!" Mello snapped in English.

"Oh, sorry." The teen replied in English. "I was just wondering what you're all doing here, that's all. Sorry if I seemed rude." He then turned and started to eat his food.

Mello frowned, then started to furiously eat his food, then got up quickly and ran to the door when he was done. Matt and Near finished up and then they joined Mello at the door before they walked on to the police station. Much to Mello's dismay, the uppity teen had followed them. "What?!" He snapped, turning to him.

"What what? I'm just going the same way!" He seemed taken aback but his outburst, then then ran on, going into the police station with a bag he was carrying.

Watari sighed, then walked in as well, blinking as he saw the auburn-haired teen handing an adult the bag.

"Here, you forgot to take a lunch with you again, so I bought you some." He was saying, and then he looked over as he heard Watari say "Good afternoon, Yagami Soichiro-san."

The man stood up and walked over. "Watari, is it? It's a pleasure to meet you again. Now…which of these children is Near?"

Near looked at Watari, who nodded, then gingerly stepped forward. "I am Near." He said calmly. "I'm not sure if I'll be of any help, but I wanted to talk to you about something anyway. Is there a more private place we can talk?"

Yagami Soichiro nodded. "Of course, this way." He led them into a back room, and noted as he looked over his shoulder that Near had started to use one of the other boys for support as he walked, and was limping.

They got into a back room, and then two other police officers walked in. Near recognized equipment to trace phone calls and sighed slightly. "Yagami Soichiro-san, I would like your cooperation with locating L. He has been trapped inside this area of Japan by the person that had kidnapped me before, and we can't find him!"

Soichiro thought about it a bit, then nodded. "Alright, we'll help you." He smiled a bit and held out a hand to the boy. "Let's do our best, Near."

Near nodded and took his much-larger hand with his, then placed his hand at his side again before Mello helped him sit down at the table, Matt sitting next to him and putting his game away as he listened to Near and Soichiro talk about the kidnapping.

Maybe it was because he looked like a kid, but Soichiro let Near skip over some of the more nasty tortures and move on to when L had come in. He spoke of L with pride and Ryuuzaki/Backup with disgust, his words calmer than they were two weeks ago when he first told Mello about it. By the end of it, in which he included the nightmares, both of which made the Police officers shudder, he was mumbling quietly and fidgeting with a number-slide puzzle he'd brought along, trying to calm himself down.

He was doing well so far… Now, if only he could say Backup's alias with shuddering… A ringing phone broke him from his thoughts and Watari picked it up, then gasped. "L?!"

Near looked over and Soichiro motioned for the other officers the trace the call, but then Watari lowered the phone. "I heard a scuffle and then the line went dead."

"At least he's not strapped down." One of them said, smiling. "And we got a bit of a signal, so we can check that general area!"

"Good work, Matsuda!" Soichiro nodded firmly. "We'll go as soon as we're all ready!"

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **Yeah, I know it's not turning out to be that long. Although, will L's return really fix Near? And what if B escapes?

Please review, people!


	7. L and B

"What's this?" Near asked, holding up something he had been handed.

One of the police officers, Aizawa, turned to him after putting the same thing on himself. "Bullet-proof vest. To protect yourself from guns."

"Do they help against knives and ropes?" Near asked calmly, setting his aside.

"Erm…not…really?" Aizawa blinked. "Does this Ryuuza—Backup guy not use guns?" He asked, biting his tongue to catch himself before he said the dreaded alias.

Near shook his head. "Not that I know of, no."

"Still…" Aizawa picked up Near's. "It'd be a good idea to be cautious. Take off your shirt so we can put it on underneath." He smiled kindly.

Near grabbed the vest, then limped over to Mello. "Can you help me put this on? They said I have to wear it."

Mello laughed, then finished putting his on and then pulling on his shirt before he turned to Near and undid his shirt, pulling it off so he could put the vest on underneath. "You need to stop coming to me for this, you know how paranoid Matt is." He grinned as he fastened the vest. "Watch carefully, so I don't have to do it for you again."

Near nodded and quietly watched as Mello tightened all the straps so the vest fit Near's tiny figure, and then grabbed his shirt. "I can put my shirt on by myself." He said, pulling it on and buttoning it up again. "Although I really don't think we need it…"

"Better to be safe than sorry!" The one called Matsuda looked over and grinned. "I can hardly tell you're wearing it!"

Matt was wearing the vest OVER his shirt, saying he preferred vests that way, and was not waiting for them all to finish getting ready as he beat up bad guys with Mario, his eyes following the little guy on the screen and not really paying attention to the conversation between Near and Mello. He then puased the game and looked up as Mello tapped his shoulder. "Time to go? Hold on, almost done." He unpaused the game and then finshed the level, then saved the game and shut it off, pocketing the DS. "Now we can go."

Mello chuckled a bit and then they all went out. As they passed the teen from before, he looked at them all and then looked at Soichiro. "When should we expect you home?"

"Hopefully by tonight." Soichiro said calmly, nodding as he walked out with the others. "If not, just save some dinner for me, I don't expect to be killed on this mission."

"Got it." The boy nodded, then walked out with them, then turned to go down the street, leaving the area.

Soichiro smiled, and then they walked on, until they'd reached the alleyway the signal came from. A smashed cell-phone was on the ground, which meant that L had managed to get outside, but Backup was in hot pursuit and had dragged him back down, cutting off the conversation. The sewer-grate was a bit ajar, which pointed out a rushed entry – had L managed to break away again, to find another exit, and so he didn't bother fixing the grate? "Well, let's go." He pulled the grate out of the way fully and then climbed down the ladder, turning on a flashlight and shining it around the area.

It looked like typical sewer – save for the door hidden in the shadows that Mello had wandered over to. He tried the knob and shook his head. "It's locked, this MUST be the right way!" He backed away from the door, looking ready to charge it, and then Soichiro walked over and shot the lock, breaking it.

"Now, it's not." He said calmly, opening it. There were stairs leading down, and Soichiro shined his flashlight down the large space in the middle and shuddered. "Nobody look down, and keep away from the edge." He walked ahead of the other with Matsuada, testing the stairs for any traps, but found nothing. "Alright, stay close to the wall, and be careful." He said, and then they went deeper in.

After a while of walking, and when Soichiro could shine down the flashlight and see the bottom, they stopped to rest. "How far below the ceiling do you think we are?" Matsuda asked, looking up.

"A few miles, at least." Near said calmly, also looking up. It was hard to remain calm, though, knowing that Backup could be anywhere around here. He pulled up one leg to his chest and wrapped his arm around it, his other hand twirling around a strand of his hair as he thought about what they would do when they saw Backup. Give him to the Japanease police? Take him back to Whammy's House? Put him in a mental institution? They all sounded like they wouldn't work.

Mello walked further down the stairs. "C'mon, guys! We've rested, let's move on!" He turned to Near and then walked over, taking his hand and then carrying him down the stairs. The others quickly followed, not wanting to be left behind by the two boys.

Near listened closely for any sign of screams as they neared another door. Mello tried the knob, but it was also locked, and Soichiro came over and shot the door. They opened it and then they heard what sounded like a scuffle come from a room. Watari came forward and halted Mello's and Near's rushing forward, and then they waited until they heard a faint smashing of glass before a figure threw open the door and ran out, another one – looking uncanningly like the first – rushing out after him, blood slipping from his head, like he'd just been hit with something.

"L!" Watari ran over and caught the first one's hand, then pulled him close. His pursurer glared at them with cold, red eyes and then pulled out a knife. "Soichiro-san, please take care of the rest. I have to get L up to safety."

L looked in pain, and his hair and clothes were a mess, but he shook his head. "No…I…want to help." He pushed off of Watari and brushing his hair out of his face so he could see better, his brownish-gray eyes glinting with fury. "Backup, that's enough!"

"You called me 'Backup' again…" Backup said, sighing as he twirled the knife in his hands. "I told you to call me 'B'. Now, L, give back the switch and be a good boy."

"No!" L held something close – it looked like the trigger-switch to a bomb! "I won't put up with his any longer, Backup! You hurt Near, you threatened to hurt those people…I'm sick of it!"

"L…" Backup growled. "Do you want all of these people to die? I said to be a good boy and come with me!" He stopped twirling the knife and then slashed at Mello, who ducked and then threw a kick at him. Backup stumbled back, rethinking his strategy. Clearly, unlike Near, Mello knew how to fight. And that was a problem. How could he get past his defenses?

The policemen had their guns up, and Backup surveyed them before he grinned. "Really, Nate. You wanted to see me again so badly that you called the police to find me?" He looked at Near, knowing the his usage of Near's real name would confuse everyone that didn't know it. Near tried to not appear fazed, but Backup could tell that hearing his real name being used bugged him, and he grinned. "What's the matter, Nate? Cat got your tongue?"

"Who's 'Nate'?" Matsuda asked, looking around.

L was glowering at Backup, his lips curled into a snarl. That was low, using his real name in front of these strangers! And he obviously knew it, since he was practically laughing at Near's stony silence, even as he dodged a punch from Mello.

"C'mon, Miheal, you can do better than that!" He teased, flipping backwards and landing on his hands. "Yooou caaaan't caaatch meee!" He sang, flipping away again as Mello sent a kick his way. "Whoops! Miheal, you're too slow!" He jumped over him and then ran, looking like he was charging the policemen, then flipped in the air, landing on the other side of them before he spun around to face them. "See you later, L, Nate!" He grinned and then dashed up the stairs before they had even fully registered that he'd left the room.

It took a few minutes, but L finally broke the silence. "Let's go home, guys."

Near nodded and looked at Soichiro. "Thank you, Yagami-san."

Soichiro nodded, and then they all went up to the street above. Backup was nowhere in sight, but L could tell by his parting words that it wasn't the last time they'd see him. The best option right now, he reasoned, was to go back to England and prepare themselves for their next meeting with the lunatic.

They said their goodbyes to the Japanese police, Watari gave them a number to call if Backup showed up in Japan again and then they went to the hotel to pack up before they got on the private jet for home.

**Author's Notes:** I noticed that some of you were wondering if this is a MelloxMatt. Sure, I guess so. I guess that's in there, somewhere. It's not a big focus, but it's there.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know…

It's not over! I still have lots of ideas, some of which concern li'l ol' Light. So, either this is an AU, or this will be so traumatic for him that he deliberately forgets about the whole incident, from the meeting in the restaurant to after this is over. He'll just forget all of it.

Which do you think? Also, thanks for being so kind to review, **JuniorsObligatory**and **sasunaru-yaoi-4evea39**, your comments really made my day. Keep reading, it's gonna be interesting and nasty!


	8. Sneaky Tactics

A month went by without anything concerning Backup, and Roger was starting to relax, thinking that he wouldn't try again. He didn't notice when a figure slipped by his closed office door, but he did notice a cry of pain and quickly stood up. Only a month and he was already back?!

Mello was lying against the wall, holding a wound in his side while Matt ran to tend to him. "Roger, Backup came and attacked Near!" Mello reported. "I tried to stop him, but he took Near and ran!" He winced in pain. "That.._freak _just stabbed me without a second thought!"

Roger looked up and frowned. "I shouldn't have let my guard down. I'm sorry, Mello." He ran out to the main room, where he saw through a wndow Near being thrown into a car before Backup climbed into the driver's seat and drove away, a maniacal grin on his face as he saw Roger coming outside to stop him. "Near!"

Near heard the call, but wasn't awake enough to respond. He was vaguely aware of being in a moving…something…before he fell into deeper sleep, Backup's cold, wheezy laughter not heard by his sleeping ears.

He didn't know how long he was asleep, but when he woke up he was in a room with no windows and he quickly sat up, looking around, then paled as he saw a person's dead body in the same room as him. "W-What…?"

"You're awake?" He heard Backup's voice hiss, and he quickly looked over to see him standing in the doorway. "About damn time. You have no idea how long you can sleep, do you? It's already been two days since you came here." He stepped towards him, pulling out his knife, then looked where Near was earlier. "Ah, him? Well, I needed his house, and he wouldn't give it to me alive." He shrugged and then grabbed Near's shoulder, chuckling at his cry of pain. "It still hurts, doesn't it, Nate? Even after a month." He let go and then walked out of the room, leaving Near alone for now.

Near barely had time to gingerly step from the bed – courtesy of the boots that he could even DO that – when Backup came back in with someone that Near sort of recognized – an auburn-haired teenge male. "Here, I brought you someone to talk to!" Backup said cheerfully as he shoved the teen in.

"Hey, what?! Who are you?! My father's going to kill you for this, whoever you are!" The teenager yelled, glaring at Backup.

"Now, now, Yagami-kun. It's just a little game! Oh, and call me Ryuuzaki." He waved and then shut the door, locking them in as he cackled.

The teenager looked around the room and let out a scream as he saw the mangled corpse. "OH MY GOD!" He looked at Near, then scrambled over to the bed, grabbed Near, then pulled him as far away from the corpse as possible. "Kids shouldn't see something like that, what kind of sicko is he?!"

Near didn't say anything as the teen had screamed, but blinked as he was pulled off the bed and looked at him. "So…who are you?"

"Yagami Light." He said, looking at him. "And you're…Near, right? I think dad worked with you a month ago."

Near nodded. "Well, Light, this is the situation. We are both captured by a madman that doesn't care if we're alive or dead, he'll cut us up, but he's going to keep us alive as bait for something else that he wants." He said calmly. "And I've seen pictures of corpses before, so don't panic like that."

"…I wasn't panicking! I was worried about you, you're a kid! I mean, seriously…how old are you? Six?"

"I'm eleven." Near sighed. "I may look like a small child, but I'm actually a preteen."

"Eleven? Seriously?" He blinked, then shrugged. "Oh, well…uhm…sorry." He gave a sheepish smile, then let go of him. "So…how've you been? I mean…where are you from, anyway?"

"I'm from England. Which I'm guessing we're not in at the moment." He sighed, then blinked. "What's the date?"

Light looked at digital watch. "Uhm…October 9th, why?"

"He wasn't lying, then…" He frowned. "I've really been sleeping for two days? He must've drugged me into sleeping that much…"

"Yeah, he kind of kidnapped me from my school, freaking a lot of people out." Light said, sighing. "It's kind of bothersome, since I was in the middle of a test, and I might fail my grade…"

"Right now, Light, failing your grade is the _least _of your worries!" Near rolled his eyes. "If he doesn't gety what he wants, he might kill us. And he's going to torture us until then anyway aso, honestly, I think they'll excuse your bad grade, since they know you were kidnapped!" He stood up, but winced and walked along the wall, trying to get to the door. "As if….I can't…get past…a door!" He cried out in pain and dropped to his knees, hissing in pain.

Light ran over to him. "Hey, you alright? C'mon, let's go back to the corner and just wait for him to let us out."

"I already told you, it's not that simple! Backup's aim is not money, it's L and I don't know WHY he grabbed you!" He looked at him firmly.

"He said his name was Ryuuzaki." Light blinked, confused. "Is he 'Backup' or 'Ryuuzaki'?"

"Both and neither. Backup and Ryuuzaki are aliases, one from Whammy's House, where I live, – he used to live there, too – and one he made for himself. I don't know his real name." He explained, looking at the door. "Anyway, this isn't the first time he's kidnapped me, and I'm not sure why he kidnapped you, but we'll be stuck together for a few days, at least."

"Ah…so, did you die your hair, or is that a normal hair color in England?" He asked, trying to make conversation.

"Neither, I'm an albino, and this is a sensitive topic." Near said, glancing at him. "Change it."

"Uhm…what's your major in school?" Light tried again.

"I major in many things." Near said calmly, inwardly counting the seconds until Backup's return, which he knew was inevitable.

"Oh, yeah. Me too. What's your dream job?"

"To be the new L." He smiled a bit.

"Uhm…to have my dad's job, I guess." He shrugged. "Chief of the Japanese Police." He had a determined expression. "I want to get rid of creeps like Ryuuzaki that think they can just use anyone to their own selfish ends!"

Near nodded. "Then, I might work with you in the future. L might need the help of Police on some of his cases." He smiled a bit.

Light nodded. "Yeah, we should totally work together!" He grinned, then froze as the door slammed open.

"Boujour." Backup said, shutting the door behind him. "If you'll come over here, I have something to show you two."

Light stood up and took Near's hand, looking eager, while Near looked wary. "What is it? What? What?"

"You must be wondering where you are." He opened the door and led them to a window. They could see the Eiffel Tower from here!

"Ah….Paris, this time?" Near looked at Backup. "And it's too high to escape by jumping…a wise choice, if you don't want anyone to escape."

"You're complimenting the madman?" Light yelped, looking a bit pale. "I wanna go back in that room!"

"No." Backup caught his shoulder and smiled sweetly. "It's time to play!" Light paled and tried to run, but Backup swung a fist and punched him in the gut. "You gonna try to run too, Nate?" He looked over at Near. "There's nowhere to run to, though, so it's better for both of you if you just come with me and endure the pain."

"Backup…" Near started, then cried out in pain when Backup swung a hand out and smacked him into the wall. "Agh!"

"Stop calling me that!" He snapped, going over to him and dropping Light on the floor. "You and L both…I'm not 'Backup'!" He caught his hair and dragged him to his feet. "Say it after me. "Ryuu."

"R-Ryuu…"

"Zaki." He finished, smiling.

"…Ryuuzaki." Near said softly, looking away with his eyes.

"See? You can say my name." He dropped him to the floor and then walked over to pick up Light, walking off. "C'mon, Nate! Don't fall behind!"

Near growled, but followed him, limping, to wherever he was leading to. They stopped in front of two doors and Backup motioned for Near to go in the one of the right as he walked into the one on the left, dreading the worst.

Inside he found what looked like a dentist's chair, but none of the dentist's tools were there, and there were shackles on the arms of the chair. He cautiously approached it, and then blinked as he relalized that he couldn't hear into the other room, even though it was right next to theo ne he was in! 'Soundproof walls?' He thought, frowning. 'What's Backup planning to do?' He looked at the chair, then slowly sat down, glad to finally be off his feet, and put his hands in his lap, not trusting the arms of the chair.

A few hours passed, and Near had started to doze when he felt something wrap around his wrists and then a CLINK sound was heard. His eyes snapped open and he looked up to see Backup casually locking his wrists into the shackles. "Hey, let me go!" He squirmed, trying to pull free, but Backup was already done locking it.

He wiped his brow and grinned. "Not a chance, Nate." He cupped his chin and grinned. "You made me lose L, so I'm just a little bit pissed off." He pulled out his knife, then used it to cut his shirt open, exposing the bandages that covered the wounds. "So, let's see how well they've healed." He leaned over him more and slowly cut open the bandages, just missing his skin as he exposed it. "Well, it looks like a month of treatment has done them good!" He cackled and then got up and left the room, closing and locking the door – not that he needed to, Near couldn't move in the slightest!

Another hour passed, and then he heard the door being unlocked, Backup walking in with a bucket of something. "So, Light didn't tell me anything useful. I thought that his stupid dad was keeping in contact with Watari and knew where to find him, but I guess not." He lifted the bucket, which was full of water, and then splashed it onto Near's trapped body, the hot water burning his exposed wounds and making him cry out in pain. "So, where's L? I'm sure you know, you're his number-one successor after all." He put the bucket down, then reached out a hand to stroke the burning arm-wound. "This one's taking forever to heal…" He mumbled, then pushed a finger in. "Tell me, Nate. Where is he?"

"Agh!" He cried out, his hands clenching in their bonds. "S-Stop it, Backup!"

Backup's eyes narrowed and he pushed his finger further in. "Ryuu. Za. Ki."

"R-Ryuuzaki, I'm sorry! Please, stop!" The pain was just as bad as he remembered it, and he knew that he'd have more nightmares after this. He closed his eyes tightly in agony, clenching his teeth in pain. "Stop…"

Backup pulled his finger out of the wound and laughed his wheezy cackle. "So, Nate, where is L?" He stroked his cheek, smearing his own blood down his cheek.

"I-I don't know!" Near closed his eyes, his body quivering. "I don't…"

"You're lying…" He growled. You know where he is, and he doesn't have a laptop with him, so I can't find him my own way!" He slammed Near's head against the back of the chair, his hand holding his head roughly. "Now tell me, Nate!"

"No, I don't—uhn!" He was hit against the back of the chair again, and then his head was released.

"I didn't want to have to do this, Nate. After all, you're only eleven…" Backup moved his hand down to stroke Near's body. "You will tell me where L is, I don't care what I have to do!" He leaned in and then forced a kiss on the boy's lips, pulling away with an expression of disgust.

Near tried to bite him as he pulled away, fury in his eyes. "You freak! Let me go!" He squirmed again, then winced as he was kissed again, his head hitting the back of the chair hard, and then he moaned in pain, vaugely aware of Backup moving from his lips to his neck, his hands moving down the boy's body roughly and leaving bruises all over his body. "Stop…R-Ryuuzaki…" He shivered, the memories flashing back at him. "Ngh…hurts…"

"It wouldn't hurt if you would tell me where L is hiding, Nate Rivers." He said in a sing-song tone, his hands still moving lower and getting rougher. "Where." He had started to kiss down the boy's body. "Is." He gripped Near's pants, stopping before he let go and simply slid a hand in, cackling at Near's yelp of surprise when skin touched sensitive skin. "L?"

"I-I told you. I don't—ahh!" He clung to the arms of the chair, his eyes widening as Backup wrapped his hand around something that really bugged the child. "Stop it, Ryuuzaki!"

"Where is he, Nate?" Backup asked over Near's cries. "Tell me!"

"A-America!" Near gasped out, and then shivered as Backup finally let go of him and then stroked his cheek.

"Good boy, Nate. And, hey, take heart in the fact that Light broke first." He chuckled and then walked over to the door. "I'll be back, once I've sent a message to L. Oh!" He ran back over to Near. "I need to unlock one of your hands, which one is your writing hand?"

"Left…" He mumbled, looking down. He didn't want to see Backup right now.

He nodded and pulled out a notepad. "Write the address, I'll write the telegram!" He said cheerfully, then bounded out of the room.

Near nodded and quietly wrote the address before he fell unconcious, the pen slipping from his hand to the floor.

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** If anyone makes up any bizzare NearxAnyone pairing by reading this story, I will shoot them and then myself. The only definate pairings are MelloxMatt and _maybe_ BBxL. That said, you can continue to read the story. I just wanted to get that off my chest.

Oh, does anyone have any suggestions for torture? I don't like gore, by the way, and cannibalism is right out!

Reviews, please! I love the reviews!


	9. Escape!

I've been having so much fun with Mello that I forgot about this story! XD

You know what? Disregard my last statement, I was half-asleep. If you wanna make pictures, couplings, and whatever you want from reading this, you can be my guest. It's your imagination.

When he next awoke, he and Light were back in the room they'd first been put in, but the corpse was gone and they were both on the bed. Light stirred and then sat up quickly, his eyes darting, and then he noticed Near looking at him. "I-Is he gone?" He whispered, and then looked at the dark-red robes they were both clothes in. "Oh my god, he took my clothes and dressed me up like a cultist!" He shrieked, getting up off of the bed. "That freak!"

"Stop freaking out." Near noted that his socks had been removed again and his boots were taken away. "He tore our clothes, so of course he dressed us in these." He curled up to hide the burns from Light, not ready to let him see the wounds from the past torture yet.

"He molested us and then dressed us up like cultists! WHY?!" Light cried, throwing his hands up to the sky.

"Stop being such a drama-queen." Near rolled his eyes. "You have to be prepared for creeps like this, especially if you hope to be a police officer. Be thankful all he's done to you is molest you, he could do much worse."

Light sat on the bed and looked at Near, then yelped. "What are you—are you stripping?!" He shrieked.

Near looked over at him. "No, I'm inspecting a wound he just made worse." He finished lowering the robe to his hips, exposing his wounds, and looking at his upper-arm with a slight hiss. "It's bleeding again…that bastard…" He mumbled.

"Hey, you're only eleven, you shouldn't be using that kind of language!" Light scolded, then frowned as he saw all of the scars. "…Did he do that to you?"

"A month ago, yes. He kidnapped me for the same reason he kidnapped me now." He pulled the robe up again and slipped his arms into the long sleeves. "To find L…for whatever reason. When I asked L, he changed the subject, so it can't be good."

Light shivered. "Who knows, maybe he wants to molest him, too! Or, even worse, rape!" He whimpered at the thought, then ran over to the door to try to get it open. Near watched quietly, then looked over at where the corpse was. Where was it now? Burned? He shivered and then looked back at Light as he yelled, "Near! Come help me open this door!"

Near nodded and slowly got off the bed, but as soon as his bare feet touched the cold, tiled floor, he felt a searing pain and started to fall. "Light!" He cried, and Light looked over and then ran over, catching the smaller boy just in time. Then he held him close as he glared at the door. "Stupid madman." He then looked at Near. "We have to escape. Can you pick locks?"

"I can, but you'll have to hold me up while I do it." He looked around. "And we need something I can actually use…"

"He took our clothes, so I don't have anything…" He looked over at the bedside table. It had a drawer, he noticed, and he crawled over to pull it open, finding a book with a paper-clip being used as a bookmark. "I don't think she'll be using this anymore, so it should be okay to take it." He pulled out the paper-clip and straightened it out. "Okay, now I'll need you to carry me."

Light nodded and then walked over to pick him up, carrying him over to the door. "Okay, Near. Good luck." He said firmly, attempting a salute while holding him.

Near rolled his eyes and got to work, the only sound for about 15 minutes being the paper-clip clicking around the inside of the lock, picking it open. He hated doing this, though – it reminded him vividly of Backup sticking his fingers into Near's wound to open up the secrets Near tried to conceal.

Finally, when he was starting to wonder if he would succeed, the lock clicked and the knob turned with ease, opening the door to let him out into the world. At least, out into the room with the big window. Near looked around cautiously as they stepped out, and was surprised to see Backup not in the area.

"We made it!" Light smiled brightly. "We made it out!"

"We've just started, Light." Near reminded him. "From here, we have to escape into the world and get a call to the others. We are both in Paris, and I doubt you can speak French. Lucky for us, _I_ can." He walked over and looked out the window. "What's more, we are dressed in only these robes, and anyone that wanted to sexually assault us could it with ease. Right now, I believe, we should look at what clothing we can aquire, don't you think?" He looked at him.

If Light had dog ears, they'd be drooping so low, he looked _that_ depressed. "Doesn't the girl that lived here have a cell-phone?"

"We can check for that, yes, but don't you think that Backup would've destroyed it or would be using it himself? Let's focus on the clothing, for our own safety." He went into the room Backup had told him to go into earlier, and shivered at the memory of what happened in here.

Light came in after him, looking around, then went into the one he was in earlier. Then he came out, carrying his clothes. "Well, they're ripped, but at least they're intact enough to wear."

"My shirt's ripped, but I can dress." Near said from the other room as he dressed, then he came out carrying the robe. "We can leave these in that room." He took Light's and then took him in the bedroom before he finally fell over in pain. "Augh!"

"Near!" Light ran over and gasped, seeing his feet. "Oh…that's terrible!" He knelt and picked him up, holding him close. "Oh, you walked on those? You poor thing!" He carried him to the window and looked out it. "…We can't get out this way…"

"How about the door?" Near pointed out. "Backup's not here, he won't stop us."

"Good point." Light ran over to the door and threw it open with one hand, rushing out of the room.

_**FREEDOM!**_

Freedom. That was something that Near had been wanting for a month now, ever since he was kidnapped by Backup to lure L out in the first place. And now he was trying the same tactic, but dragging the Yagami family into it, this time. His hands clenched as he silently cursed him for doing all of this. What did he hope to gain? L? Why?

Light turned a corner and then hit the down arrow on the elevator. They heard footsteps coming up the stairs and Light paled as he waited for it to come up. Finally, the doors opened and he ran in, just as they heard, "Nate?! How the fuck did you get out?!"

"Why is he only talking about you?" Light said as he slumped against the wall of the elevator. "Is he blind to me or something?"

"I'm the one most in his way, and he doesn't really think you're smart enough to escape." He looked away. "How long?"

"Huh?" He blinked.

"How long did it take before you broke down and gave him the information he wanted?"

Light looked down, ashamed. "…Only about a minute. You?"

"About 15 minutes." He sighed. "He's such a freak…"

The elevator dinged and then the doors opened. Light quickly ran out, looking over his shoulder as he saw Backup running down the stairs after them. "Why is he still after us?! We gave him the information he wanted!" He said, running faster he went out into the streets of Paris.

"We're his bargaining chips. There's no way he's going to let us escape." Near said matter-of-factly. "He has to have us both so that he can lure the people close to us to him."

"Well, he's as lost here as we are!" Light ducked down a side-road, sweat slipping down his cheek as he saw Backup round the corner after them. "But, he's also fast!"

"Turn left here." Near said softly, and Light darted into an alleyway. Backup ran by it without looking in, and Light's eyebrow rose at it. Near looked around them. "I was right, he didn't expect us to come into this alleyway." He looked at Light. "It should be safe to go, now."

Light nodded and came out slowly, cautiously, and then breathed a sigh of relief as he ran out to the main street again. "Where's a store?!"

"Better to ask someone 's house, we don't have any money to use in here on a payphone." Near looked around, then frowned. "This place is so big…"

"Yeah." He saw a woman putting her cell-phone into her purse. "Excuse me, miss?"

She yelped as he ran over speaking Japanese and then calmed slightly when Near took over, speaking in French. "Y-Yes?" She asked warily.

"Can we use your cell-phone? We need to call home." Near said, nodding.

"Will I get it back?"

"Of course." Near nodded, then took the phone when it was handed to him, dialing Soichiro's number. After a bit, it was picked up and he heard Soichiro's voice asking who was speaking. "Yagami-san, it's Near. I'm with your son, and we're in Paris, close to the Eiffel Tower." After a bit, he nodded. "Alright, we'll wait at the Police Station, then. Yes. Yes, I understand. Yes, it was him." He looked at Light. "He wants to talk to you."

Light nodded and took the phone, Near explaining to the woman what was going on while Light chattered away in Japanese. Finally, after they finished, the woman was handed back her cell-phone and then they ran off after getting directions to the Police station. They'd be safe here, right?

Or , ARE they? (Dun dun DUUUUUN!) Who knows, maybe Backup will find them before they can get there! D

Either way, people know where they are, so yay! And freedom is so sweet.


	10. Villains and Heroes

Light ran on, holding Near close as he ran, his breathing heavy from running so much. Paris, while a beautiful place, was far from where he wanted to be right now. He could feel Near going limp in his arms, but he didn't try to wake him – the poor kid needed sleep, after all that torture. What kind of sick creature was B, anyway?

He ran around a corner, then gasped and was forced to turn back as he saw a black-haired figure with red eyes walking towards them. He'd seen them, how could they escape now! They had to hurry…

He tripped on trash and cried out in pain, twisting his body to make sure that Near didn't hit the hard road. As he twisted, though, he saw Backup coming close with a rope, and then he shook Near awake before he shoved him behind the dumpster, the lasso B had flying through the air and catching the auburn-haired teen.

"You're far more trouble than you're worth." Backup hissed through clenched teeth as he tightened it around Light and then walked over to pick up Near, who was half-asleep, closer to the sleeping side. "But, getting L and punishing your father for ruining my fun with L is worth the trouble." He grabbed one end of the rope. "Let's go, Yagami-kun." He smirked, then tugged him along, going back to the room of that girl he'd killed.

"H-Hey! Let go!" Light tried to get away, but the lasso had him tight, and he could only squirm. It didn't help that he couldn't speak French, so he couldn't even call out for help! After a while, he finally resigned himself to his predicament and followed B's lead.

When they got back, Light was shoved in a clean bedroom that had what looked like Backup's clothes in a suitcase, and then he lay Near down on a bed. "I need to fix the lock on your room." He glared at Light. "Give me what you used to pick the lock, Yagami-kun."

"N-Near has it." Light stammered, scared of the red-eyed kidnapper.

"I see." He started to reach in Near's pockets and opening his hands, finally finding the paperclip clipped onto Near's sleeve – it was white, so it was hard to notice if you weren't looking. He pocketed it, then turned and left the room, closing and locking the door behind him.

Light struggled in his bonds. "H-Hey! Untie me, at least!"

"Nnn…" Near rolled over slightly, and then his gray eyes opened and he sat up and looked around. "Light, where are we?"

"After you dozed off, B caught us again and shoved us in here." Light sighed. "Is the bed you're on too far from me for you to help untie me?"

Near looked at him and gauged the distance between the bed and where he stood, and then nodded. "I think so." He then slid off the bed and limped over to Light, forcing himself to ignore the stinging as he got to Light and then he worked to untie him, hoping to finish before Backup got back, so that one of them could fight.

But, this rope was tied pretty well, and Near could feel his stability failing before he finally dropped to his knees, whimpering in pain.

"Well, well, Nate. Looks like you're recovering."

Near froze and looked up at Backup, his eyes shaking. "R-Ryuuzaki…"

"Well, you used the right name, at least." He shrugged and then walked over to Near, grabbing him as he tried to crawl away and picking him up. "Still, I can't have you running off again, can I?" He then cackled and carried Near out of the room.

"Hey! Untie me! Ryuuzaki!" Light yelled as the door was shut on him.

'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!' Near thought frantically, looking around in fear as he was carried back into that room and shoved into the chair. He tried to escape it, but Backup locked the straps and grinned coldly at him. "R-Ryuuzaki…please…"

"How quick you are to beg, Nate." He made a "tsk tsk" sound. "What would L say if he heard you?" He walked over and Near turn something being turned as the chair Near was on lay back into a bed.

His eyes widened as he saw a hose above his head, and he shivered and glanced at what it was connected to. To his despair, it was connected to a sink and the temperatures could easily be changed. "Ryuuzaki…please…don't do this…"

"Sorry." Backup said with a tone that clearly stated that he wasn't. Then he walked over and tied a blindfold over Near's eyes, ignoring his pleas and cries. "I don't like it when you try to escape, Nate." He walked over and turned the water on cold just a bit, smiling as the hose begin to drip onto Near's forehead. He could hear the boy squirming already.

"Please, turn it off!" Near cried, the memories coming back to him and making the ordeal worse. "Turn it off, I beg of you! I'm sorry, Ryuuzaki!"

"Pathetic." Near heard the sound of a lighter being opened and whimpered, shivering as the flame neared his already-damaged feet. "You've been limping, but I'll make it so you can't walk." Backup cackled as he heard Near's scream of pain.

The pain was too much and, combined with the memories, it was a nightmare that he experienced as he was awake. How long could he endure before he fainted again? It seemed to be forever, and he just kept on screaming until he couldn't scream anymore, tears slipping down his cheeks and soaking the blindfold as he lay there quietly, the water still dripping on him.

Backup turned off the lighter and then Near heard him walked out of the room and close the door, leaving him all alone.

…

How long had he been left alone now? The albino child had lost track of how many minutes he'd counted, but he knew that it was at least an hour or two. He was falling into a state of unconsciousness when the hose stopped and the blindfold was removed, Backup's cold, red eyes gazing into Near's gray ones.

"Still awake? I forgot how much endurance you had, Nate." He said, and then the chair Near was strapped to came back up and the straps were removed. Then Backup stood back and grinned at Near. "Get up."

Near nodded and slowly got off the chair, but screamed in pain and fell over, caught by Backup before he hit the table with several sharp objects, as he felt a searing, agonizing pain in his feet. He started to sob, clinging to Backup as he picked him up and carried him out of the room, and was afraid to see what kind of mess he looked like now.

Light looked over from the bed as Backup came in with Near in his arms, fury in his eyes. "What the hell did you do to him?!"

"Examine his body and find out." Backup sneered as he dropped Near on the bed before he turned and left, closing and locking the door so they couldn't get out.

"Bastard." Light mumbled, and then he looked at Near. "What'd he do to y--?!" He blinked as Near suddenly hugged him. "Near?"

"I can't walk anymore…" He whispered softly. "I'm scared, Light…"

"Don't worry, Near. We'll get out of this." Light promised, nodding. The poor kid, so traumatized and hurt…if only he could find all the bastards that would do this and send them to their execution! Kids like Near didn't deserve this abuse, and he vowed to defend them. Starting with this one right here – he intended to never, ever, harm Near.

He heard some shouting outside the door, Backup's voice, and then hid Near and himself on the other side of the bed as he came in.

"If you want your successor alive for much longer, L, you'll come alone!" He snapped, and then hung up. His red eyes scanned the room, and then he turned and slammed the door shut, locking it.

"What am I here for?" Light mumbled, then looked at Near, who was rubbing his eyes. "You sleepy?"

"N-No." Near shook his head. "I'm just…" He sighed. "I'm tired, but I'm not sleepy. Does that make sense?"

"You mean, emotionally instead of physically?" Light asked, and Near nodded. "Yeah, I guess I'm tired, too." He held his head with one hand. "I wish I had something that I could use to make all of these bad people go away. I know it would leave you without a job, but a world without crime would be just awesome, don't you think?"

"Crime is inevitable, Light." He curled up against him, wincing as his toes shifted. "It comes and goes throughout the passage of time, and no one can change that." He closed his eyes. "All we can do is catch the criminals that come up."

"Still…" Light sighed. "Sorry. It was a silly, impossible dream." He closed his eyes. "I shouldn't be so unrealistic."

"I do agree with you, though. A world without crime_ would_ be nice." Near said, nodding. "But, we have to think realistically about this."

Light nodded. "I know." He then stood up and gently lay Near on the bed. "You relax, I'll stand guard so that freak doesn't hurt you again." He stroked his cheek gently and smiled.

"Thank you, Light." Near smiled, and then curled up slightly on his side, relaxing. He wouldn't sleep, though. No, those dreams would come back to haunt him, and now they would have him pathetically begging to be let go. He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the stinging pain again, and then opened them again when he felt his legs being moved, and looked over to see Light examining his feet. "…Light?"

"This is pretty bad…it looks like you were still healing from the last time, and now there's more…" He shook his head. "Why would the sick bastard do that?" He said, and then looked up as they heard Backup's insane laughter outside the door. "…What'll he do with us once he has this 'L' guy?"

"I don't know." Near whispered softly.

"Great."

Near nodded, then looked over as the door opened and Backup grinned at them. He only got a moment to react before he was grabbed and roughly dragged out of the room, pulled away from Light. He tried to reach for Light as he was dragged out, but Backup gave him two choices – be dragged out or walk out, and they were both painful. Once outside of the room, he was shoved into a chair roughly, crying out in pain as his head hit the back of it.

"L will be here soon." Backup said with a wide grin as he tied Near onto the chair. "And I don't want him grabbing you and running off again, do I?"

"That explains the laughter…" Near mumbled, mostly to himself.

They heard knocking on the door and Backup looked over and then walked over to open it. "Ahhh, L! So glad you could make it!" He said cheerfully.

L brushed past him, avoiding the hug he tried to give him, and went to Near's side. "Near, are you alright? What did he do to you?" He knelt and looked at Near's feet, cursing under his breath. "Don't worry, they'll recover. Where's Yagami-san's son?"

"Heeeeey, don't ignoooore meeeeee!" Backup whined as L went to the door to the room Light was in. "It's loooocked, you gotta use the key." He held it up, grinning. "But, you have to earn it, first!"

L tried the knob, then kicked the door, but it didn't fall. "…Fine. How can I 'earn' it?" He looked over at Backup. "Tell me, B."

"How nice, you refrained from being mean to me." He pocketed the key, then beckoned him over as he went towards his own bedroom. "C'mon!"

L walked over, seeming to obey, and then swung a leg up, slamming Backup into the door. Then, while he was dazed, he grabbed the key and ran to unlock the room Light was in.

Backup stood up and glared at him, holding his head. "You're mean, L! Mean, mean, mean!"

"Take a look at Near's feet and tell me who the 'mean' one is." L said coldly as he walked in. A bit later, he came out with Light and nodded to Near, Light running over to untie the boy. "If anyone is 'mean' here, Beyond Birthday, it's definitely you."

"You're so cold to me." Backup sighed and shifted slightly. "And you don't come to me unless I'm being mean, L."

Light picked Near up and then looked over. "L, I got him out!"

"Good." L nodded. "There's a car waiting outside, I'll be with you shortly." He said calmly, and then waited until they were gone to act.

CRASH!

Light looked over his shoulder as he heard the sound of a vase breaking and what definitely sounded like a heated argument going on in there. He looked at Near and sighed. "Do they do this a lot?"

"I don't know." Near shrugged slightly as they got into the elevator. "I know one thing, though. I'll be glad to be home, after this."

"Yeah, me too. Good luck with your feet." Light smiled and then her went out into the parking lot. An old man was waiting by a car for someone and, judging by Near's smile, this was their ride. He carried Near over and then helped him in, gently buckling him up before he sat next to him.

Near curled up slightly, wincing in pain. "Where's L?"

Light looked out the window at the building, waiting. How long would they wait?

*~~**~~**~~**~~*

I think we're coming to a close, maybe I shouldn't have made the chapters so long. Well, it was fun to do, and that's what matters to me.

Review, please!


	11. Parting

After what seemed like hours, - but was really only a half-hour, according to Light's watch – L came out with an unconcious B in his arms, bound, gagged, and blindfolded. "Finally!" Light huffed. "We were starting to worry!"

L shoved B in the back with them, lying on the floor, and then got in the front with Watari. "Alright, drive us to the airport." He said calmly, pulling out his cell-phone and dialing a number.

Light looked at Near, who was looking at B with a mixture of fear and sorrow in his eyes, his hands shaking on his knees. He frowned, trhen reached over and unbuckled Near, pulling him close. "Don't be scared of him, Near. He's never gonna hurt us again." He smiled and brushed the younger boy's bangs out of his face, looking into his intense, gray eyes with a comfroting, brown-eyed gaze. "We're gonna be safe from now on."

Near smiled and clung to him. He could feel L looking over at them, unsure about the amount of affection Near was showing his fellow captive, but Near didn't care. He wanted someone to turn to, and if he could turn to Mello, he could sure as heck turn to Light.

It seemed like too soon, but they reached the airport and then Watari took Near from Light's arms and carried him to the private jet, Light following behind. L glanced at Light, unsure about this stranger. "You can tell your father that everything is alright, now. We're going to drop you off at your home in Japan, and then we're going to go back to our home."

"In England, right?" Light smiled, but it faltered when L's gaze shifted to look at Near in a scolding manner. "Hey, it's not like he gave me the address to your home or anything! Don't go scolding him!"

"I see. Near will accompany you to your home and make sure that you're all settled in, and then Watari will bring him back here." He looked away, still refusing to look at the teen directly. "Is that understood, Yagami-kun?"

"Yeah." He nodded, then buckled in when they were led to their seats. He noticed that L took the seat next to Near, with Watari behind them, and he shifted slightly, feeling very out-of-place in here. He couldn't think of anything to say, and so just looked out the window in silence.

Near looked over at him, then looked up as Watari came around and started to inspect his wounded feet, and then put on some sort of cream, most likely the same one Mello and Roger had been putting on his feet. He closed his eyes, then, and after a bit fell asleep against L's shoulder. The entire ordeal was exhausting for him, and he just wanted it all to be a bad dream, really.

After all, that's where all of his other bad ordeals went – to the back of his mind, to resurface as felt L's hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him, but then another hand went on L's, Watari's, and a blanket was put over him. After that, he didn't know what happened, he was too deep in sleep.

"Yagami-san, it's time to wake up." Watari's voice spoke, and Near looked up to see L gently shaking him awake before he picked him up to carry him.

L smiled and then walked outside of the private jet, Watari following with Light close behind. "I have to go on ahead and take care of some unfinished business. I've already arranged for a ride, Watari, so you just make sure that Yagami-kun gets home safely."

"Of course." Watari said, nodding as he opened the door for L to put Near in the back seat of the limo. Then Light climbed in and buckled them both in as Watari closed the door. "We'll be back soon."

L smiled and nodded, then turned and went back into the private jet. Watari watched it take off, and then got into the driver's seat of the car. "Now, Yagami Light-san, your address?"

About an hour later, they arrived at the Yagami household, and Light got out of the car, but stopped and looked at Near's hand gripping his shirt. "…Watari-san, can I please bring him in with me for a little bit? I want to give him something."

Watari nodded – this boy was trustworthy, he could see it in his eyes. "Be quick, though."

Light smiled, then went in. As soon as he went in, though, he eard loud squealing and Sayu ran over and hugged him tightly.

"Brother, brother, you're back, you're back! Oh, what's this? A doll? Can I hold it?" She said, and Near made a face when she looked at him at "this". "Oh, it moves? That's so cool! Can I hold it? Please? Please?" She reached up a hand to Near and Near swatted it away. "Ow!"

"I'm. Not. A. Doll." He said stiffly, clinging to Light. "Light, let's go get that thing you wanted to give me. This place is…it's not very…comfortable."

"Look what you did!" Light scolded his jumpy little sister. "You spooked my friend! Go back to your dolls, Sayu!"

She whined and then tugged them further in. "Come on, I want you to meet mom and dad! Mom! Dad! Light's home!"

Yagami Soichiro and his wife came out, relief and surprise washing over Soichiro's face. "Ah…Near?" He walked over, then frowned. "You can't walk?"

"B has been arrested. Your son and I are both safe, but we've both sustained a large amount of damage." Near reported with an emotionless tone. "Light was going to give me something, so I came in with him, but I have a ride waiting."

"Maybe you can get permission to have dinner with us?" Yagami Sachiko smiled. "You look like you haven't eaten in days!"

"That would be an accurate assumption." Near said calmly. "Light, let's go ask him."

Light nodded and then carried Near out to the car. "My family wants Near to stay for dinner. Can he?"

Watari thought a bit. Would eating with a happy family affect Near's performances at Whammy's House? Smiling, he shook his head. "Go ahead, have fun. You need all the strength you can get to recover from what you've been through, Near."

Light beamed, then carried Near back inside, taking him to the dining room. He gently sat him down in a chair and then sat in his own, chuckling at Near's confused expression as he picked up the chopsticks. "Do you want a fork, Near?"

"No, I want you to demonstrate." He looked at Light's hands, seeing how he used them, and then imitated it perfectly, eating quietly.

Sayu couldn't stop staring at the small boy. "I still can't believe that you're not a doll…"

He closed his eyes and continued to eat, then opened them and glanced at Light as if to say "Do something about her". Light chuckled then looked at Sayu. "I think you're annoying him, Sayu. You just eat up."

She blinked, then looked at Near to confirm that accusation, but all she saw was a blank, emotionless stare from him. She then went back to her food, feeling bad about being so noisy.

After dinner was finished, ice-cream was served out to them and Light and Near took them up to Light's room, where Sayu couldn't jump in and bother Near again. Light locked the door to ensure this, then put Near down on the bed, watching him eat the ice-cream from his desk chair as he ate his own. Near had picked Chocolate, while Light had picked Vanilla.

"It's funny." Light chuckled.

Near glanced up at him, silently asking him to explain.

"Well, I got the ice ice-cream, and you got the brown one. We switched colors!" He laughed.

'Mello would make some sort of crude reference, I'm sure.' Near thought, rolling his eyes at Light's comment. He then lowered his ice-cream cone and smiled a bit. "Your family is very…lively. I….enjoyed their company, and yours."

"Thanks." Light smiled as he finished his ice-cream cone, then stood up and walked over to his closet, rifling through it.

Near leaned over slightly, wanting to see what he was doing, but his feet prevented him from walking over.

"Ah, here it—oh, Near!" Light laughed, walking over. "Hold on, I'll go get napkins." He chuckled, then went out of the room.

"What is it?" Near blinked, then looked at the open closet door, which had a mirror. When he'd leaned over, he'd ended up dipping his hair and cheek inhis ice-cream, and he chuckled a bit.

Light came back up, then took the ice-cream and put it on his desk."Hold still, I'll clean you up." He smiled, then gently cleaned up the mess from his face and hair, his eyes half-closed in an adoring smile. Even though he acted all big, Near really was so much like a child.

Near watched his progress in the mirror, then brushed his hair away when he was finished. "So, what did you want to give me?"

Light walked over to the closet, tossing the napkids in the trash as he passed it, and pulled out a lion stuffed animal. "Leo." He walked over and handed it to him. "I used to have nightmares, but when I slept with him in my arms, the nightmares stopped coming." He grinned. "I'm sure it'll help you, too, and I don't have nightmares anymore. You can keep him."

Near's eyes lit up when he saw the toy, and then he hugged it close when Light handed it to him, smiling as he listened to Light's story. Then he looked up at Light. "Thank you, Light."

"Near?" Sayu came to the door. "A 'Mister Watari' is saying that you have to go now!"

Near sighed, and then looked at Light. "Carry me to the car?"

"Sure." Light picked him up, then carried him downstairs, smiling as he helped him in and buckled him up. "Hey, Near? Do you think we'll ever meet again?"

Near smiled. "Of course, silly. We promised that we'd work together when I was the new L and you were the new Chief of Police, didn't we?" He saluted, then closed his eyes, hugging Leo close. "I'm sorry that we can't keep in contact any other way."

"L's pretty strict, huh?" He smiled, then stroked Near's bangs, so he could see his eyes. "Take care. I hope we meet again soon."

"Yeah." Near said, and then Watari came over to shut the door, so that he could go. They'd spent too much time here as it was.

They drove off, and Near looked over at Light from the window as they turned a corner. Once he was out of sight, he sighed and hugged Leo tightly. 'My first friend…will we ever meet again?' He thought, closing his eyes.

*~~**~~**~~**~~*

This story is so tragic, I just realized. Poor Light. Poor everybody in it.


	12. Epilogue: Rememberance

Six years later, after the Kira case was finished, 17-year-old Near went to his bedroom and sat on his bed. "…Yagami Light…I feel like I've heard the name before…" He then looked over and saw a lion toy that had something written on the foot. He crawled over and then looked at the writing.

It sid "Light", written in the same way Yagami Light;s name was. He blinked and then held his head, feeling his eyes water up as memories long-forgotten washed back. Memories he'd forced aside to work on the Kira case.

B.B…

L...

Japan…

Paris…

Yagami Soichiro…

Kidnapping…

Yagami Light…

His first friend, and he'd just sentenced him to death. Against his will, he felt tears brim up and slip down his pale cheeks before he pulled the toy close and begin to sob into it's soft fabric.

He was all alone, he now knew. L, Matt, Mello, and now Light…

All of his friends, gone. He clung tighter to the toy and sobbed harder, not caring if anyone heard him or not.

After what seemed like hours, he slowly got up from the bed and wiped his eyes, sighing. "…Yagami Light's body…" He said softly. "He should receive a proper burial, even if he was Kira."

What had happened to make Light, that sweet, caring boy, so cold and heartless? He didn't know, and now it was far too long to ask.

And, for the first time, he was regretting being L.

(FIN)

*~~**~~**~~*

You know, I actually didn't wanna finish this. But, I guess it's done now.

Tell me what you think, okay? And be nice, please.


End file.
